PROTO In NYC

As I was driving to New York City from Ohio it started to snow, and then it really started to snow. When I got closer to the city the snow turned into rain, which is less of a bummer, but still not good for riding scooters. Itʼs always so calm on the way to New York, rolling hills and cornfields. Once I passed through the Holland Tunnel I was shot out into the familiar madness of New York City.

I made it to Erik Depultas house in Brooklyn after some aggressive driving. I walked through this small looking door to Erik’s apartment and then saw the most decked out New York apartment I have ever been in. I go down the spiral staircase to where I was staying, checked out the bathroom, and there was a hot tub with jets. This was going to be a good trip.

Andrew and Chema flew from California a couple days earlier so we decided to meet up with them in the pouring rain. When we started to ride we started to wonder what we were doing in New York during this cold weather. Regardless, we had to make the best of it. Chema didnʼt even have a pair of gloves so I would let him use mine when I wasnʼt riding, we quickly took care of that problem though.

The first day of the trip I met up with Andrew and Chema in the evening. It was raining out so we rode around trying to find dry spots. We finally found a ledge under the FDR bridge and Chema cruised an icepick on it.

Andrew was prepared for the cold with plenty of proto hand warmers. He was so anxious to get the warmth from it that it exploded all over him.

The first few days we were battling the rain. David Cappetta took the train in from Connecticut. He was the designated filmer for the trip. You get warm when you ride, but when you are just filming all day you stay the same temperature, so thank you for toughing it out David. We would ride around and look for dry spots, mainly under bridges.

There werenʼt many so we rode what was available as much as we could. There was a DIY spot created by skateboarders called BQE in Brooklyn. I heard that some of the ramps got ripped out by the city but thankfully almost everything was still intact. There were quarter pipes and ledges we rode all day.

After the first couple days the rain dried up, and the 30 degree air came right after. It was easy to battle if you rode really hard at a skatepark in the morning. When we would get to spots I would do jumping jacks just to get my body in the state to start trying tricks. The cold hindered our ability to ride, but we just bundled up more and battled it.

The crew was always XXL. Morning warm up at a fun skatepark in Brooklyn.

John Cottle showing Andrew a photo of something gnarly Chema just did.

You wouldnʼt think, but Chema doesnʼt like mexican food.

David Cappetta was the filmer for the trip.

Elmer Ferreiras and Brian Murphy met up almost every day. Brian came through in his car that was so lowered that Andrew ripped off the muffler driving it. It was cool having that crew, especially Brian because it felt like the early days of PROTO.

Brian flaired everything in sight. Seeing Elmer ride in person is always a treat because he will casually do stuff you never knew he, or anyone, could do when you are riding a spot or skatepark.

I was curious how Chema was going to ride in New York, because itʼs a completely different environment than California which is where he filmed his whole last video part in. He embraced it fully, doing high speed, raw lines.

I knew Elmer can backside nose blunt anything so I told him to do it on this steep quarter pipe at BQE. He didnʼt think he could do it, then after a couple tries he started locking in.

I donʼt know how Elmer was able to get this high. The quarter was so steep that he was powering through not hitting himself in the chest with his bars every time he popped off it.

In true Brian Murphy fashion, he came in hot with a flair as everybody looks on wondering how to even begin trying flairs.

Always full mob mode, Elmer doing a high speed back lip.

Chema ice picking mid line with David getting all of it.

Chema was hesitant to do this because he didnʼt think it was cool, but I knew the photo would come out good. I waited for the train to come in and then when everybody was coming off it, I would tell Chema to go. The wall he was riding on was so tall he couldnʼt see the people on the other side when he was rolling up. It must have been a big surprise for people getting off the train to see him soaring above them.

For the weather conditions, and the short daylight, we got a lot done for what we had to work with. The trip was a success, but now we know we wonʼt be coming back around thanksgiving ever again. Thanks to Erik Depulta, PROTO Scooters, and Basic Bunch.